Up-to-the-minute developments in carbon nanotubes and photovoltaics – technologies at the forefront of the growing “green” movement in energy and manufacturing – and the critical role lasers play in this global revolution will be presented during the Laser Institute of America's 28th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics (ICALEO), to be held Nov. 2-5 in Orlando at the Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort. ICALEO 2009’s plenary session will feature topics on green energy technology, with a keynote address, “Frontiers, Opportunities and Challenges for a Hydrogen Economy,” given by Dr. John Turner, a research fellow from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.The Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort located in Orlando, Fla., site of ICALEO 2009.Other topics include “Lasers — An Enabling Technology in the Photovoltaics Revolution” by Dave Clark, senior director, strategic marketing, photovoltaics, at Newport Corp./Spectra-Physics, Mountainview, Calif.; and laser processing of carbon materials, from high-speed diamond film deposition to carbon nanotubes as semiconductor devices, by Dr. Yongfeng Lu, Lott Professor in the department of electrical engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.“The prospect of lasers in the green energy economy has never looked better,” said congress general chair Xinbing Liu, director, Panasonic Boston Laboratory, Newton, Mass. “This is the time to turn vision into reality.”The 2009 technical program will feature three conferences that will cover a range of laser applications. The Laser Materials Processing conference (LMP), chaired by Paul Denney from the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, will address the theme on high speed, efficient and flexible macroscopic laser processing applications, equipment and systems. With more than a dozen sessions offered, the conference will offer attendees topics, including hybrid welding, laser systems and optics, machining, high brightness welding and additive manufacturing processes. The Laser Microprocessing Conference (LMF), chaired by Kunihiko Washio from Paradigm Laser Research Ltd., will cover processes and systems for microscopic applications, most notably for ones that take advantage of the small feature sizes and high precision offered by short wavelength and ultrafast lasers. LMF will feature a special session on pulse-shape and burst-train control of laser interactions highlighting the efficiency of burst-train processing. Other sessions will include biomedical applications, laser machining of brittle materials and laser applications for solar cell production. Continuing a feature introduced in 2007, ICALEO 2009 will offer a joint session between LMP and LMF with contributions to appeal to researchers in both areas. This year’s joint session will focus on applications in automotive and aerospace industries. Costas Grigoropoulos from the University of California, Berkeley will chair the Nanomanufacturing Conference, which will explore topics in the emerging and rapidly advancing field of nanotechnology and the role various lasers can play. Topics of discussion will include near-field processing, nanoprocessing and nanoparticles fabrication, and laser growth and interaction with nanostructures. A host of other events will include a poster presentation gallery, five laser solutions short courses, a student paper award, a president’s reception, as well as networking opportunities. A laser industry vendor reception and tabletop display will also be available. The 2009 business forum and panel discussion, hosted by IPG Photonics Corp.’s Bo Gu, will cover the emerging opportunities in green energy and how individual laser applications researchers and laser companies are able to benefit. A panel discussion of laser business leaders following the presentations will offer participants the opportunity to interact with industry experts. For more information, visit: www.icaleo.org